Bond of the Wild
by termhn
Summary: Ahri and Nidalee have always shared a special bond, but neither of them realize it until they meet at the Institute of War. Sucky summary, couldn't think of anything better right now :/ Ahri x Nidalee


**Disclaimer: This isn't *technically* cannon since Ahri roamed the southern forests of Ionia as a fox and Nidalee grew up in the Kumungu jungle (northern Ionia). But is still *possible* they could have met… the telepathy thing is not strictly un-cannon but it isn't in cannon either so... yeah xD. Hope you enjoy.**

_~0~ Ahri as a Fox ~0~_

Ahri dashed through the peculiar jungle she was currently in, nimbly dodging between trees and dense underbrush. Ahri's paws assaulted the ground in a familiar pattern, front then back, over and over again. She had wandered far from her home lands and found herself drawn in by something about this jungle. It seemed… peculiar. She had always had a sense of this strange power in things, and she felt a very strong sense of it here.

Her throat began to tingle and she realized she needed to drink soon. She hadn't had anything to drink in almost a day as she had crossed a large plain with no water source, or at least, none that she had found. When she stumbled upon this jungle, it had seemed a likely place to find water, another reason for her to enter. Slowing down and coming to a halt, she cleared her senses and _listened._

She heard the loud buzzing of insects all around and the distant squawk of a bird calling to its mate. She heard the call of a distant cougar as it communicated with one of its den, and she heard the faint brushing of leaves as the trees swayed high above. None of these were what she was looking for, and she mentally pushed them away. _There,_ she thought as she found it. A faint ribbit of a frog signaled the presence of water, and water meant a drink. Zeroing in on the location of the distant sound, she began running towards it.

As she neared the location of the sound she had been tracking, the earth began to slant down. It was a shallow angle, but enough for her to see the body of water she had been looking for. The water was not unoccupied, however. A young girl was half submerged in the shallow water, seemingly bathing. She wore nothing to cover herself and the top half of her body was exposed to the air. Ahri was intrigued. She had rarely seen these peculiar creatures with no hair covering their bodies, and she had felt a strange desire to become one. Ahri slowed her pace and carefully approached the water and the figure it held. As she neared, she remembered the ache in her throat and she strode up to the water to take a drink. Something told her that this creature would not hurt her.

As she neared, a very peculiar feeling started to grow. A sense of joy and naivety came over her, and she started to see an image of a cougar in her head. Startled, she stopped in her tracks right at the edge of the little pond. She had never randomly thought of a cougar before. As she stood still, the image changed to a fox next to a pond. Ahri looked in front of her and saw her reflection. It looked startlingly similar to the image she now saw in her head. The sense of joy and naivety changed to curiosity. She looked up and saw that peculiar creature looking at her with a set of brilliant green eyes. As she looked up, the fox in her imagination did so as well. She began to understand what was happening.

The creature in the water stuck her hand out towards Ahri, who reflexively recoiled from the extended appendage. The girl just giggled and flipped her hand palm up, putting it below Ahri's head level as a show of submissiveness. The image in her head changed and she now saw an image of a fox licking an outstretched hand. Understanding, Ahri slowly walked forward and lowered her head to lick the girl's hand. When she did so, the girl in the water beamed and retracted her hand, moving to get out of the pond. When she had done so, she casually sat on her side near the edge of the pond, propped up by her left hand on the ground. Again she slowly reached her hand towards Ahri, who, again, recoiled from it.

The girl sighed, and the image in Ahri's head changed to a hand on a fox's head, rubbing it behind the ears. When Ahri refocused on the creature in front of her, it had a hopeful expression on its face… or rather, it had an expression on its face that Ahri assumed was hopeful because she could feel the emotion leaking through into her head. Slowly, the young fox approached again, allowing her head to be caressed by the girl's hand. She felt small digits begin to scratch behind her ears and then move down to her neck and belly. She closed her eyes and purred warmly, signalling her enjoyment. She could tell the girl had started to smile again even though her eyes were closed.

Ahri was enjoying this so much that she let it cloud her judgement. She laid down submissively, rolling onto her back, her paws dangling to the side so that the creature could get an unobstructed path to her belly. She heard the creature giggle before it moved closer to her and started to scratch her again, moving up and down her belly. Ahri let out another long, appreciative purr.

The girl's presence next to her felt very… calming, and Ahri noticed herself quickly drifting to sleep. Her hunter's conscience told her that it was a bad idea, that this could be a trap, but… there was something in her head that drowned it out, telling her that she would be safe in the presence of the strange figure that was now laying next to her. That comforting hand had stayed at its task all the while, aiding in lulling the young fox to sleep. As the familiar fog of sleep consumed her, Ahri felt as peaceful as she had since her mother left her side at only a few months old.

**A/N: This is also a pretty short chapter. I only intend for this to go on maybe… three, four chapters. This chapter is meant to be kind of a memory, giving some background for what will be coming. If you want me to update faster, review!**


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